Kyle Shanahan’s Firm Update on Jake Moody’s 49ers Future After Kicker Missed 2 Field Goals

Two missed field goals in Seattle could have turned a comfortable opener into a collapse. Instead, the 49ers escaped with a 17–13 win over the Seahawks in Week 1. The defense was suffocating, Brock Purdy was steady enough, Christian McCaffrey churned out tough yards, but Jake Moody’s right leg became the headline. Three attempts, one field goal. The rookie-year nerves that San Francisco hoped were behind him suddenly resurfaced in front of a hostile crowd at Lumen Field. And yet, Kyle Shanahan didn’t blink.

When asked about his kicker’s future, Shanahan didn’t hedge, didn’t soften, just dropped a flat response. “No question,” Moody is the guy going into Week 2. His follow-up almost underscored how little he wanted to entertain the debate. “It’s just the way you guys ask it. Right now, I have no question. Trying to finish today and go get on the plane and evaluate stuff and go back at it.” That’s Shanahan in a nutshell.

Moody missed his first field goal attempt of the 2025 season, pushing a 27-yard try wide that would have given San Francisco a 10-7 lead over Seattle. Next Seahawks blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt, preserving their three-point lead. On the third attempt, Moody connected on a 32-yard field goal to tie the game with 9:45 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Jake Moody entered the league with unusual expectations for a kicker. At 6-foot and 209 pounds with solid measurable at the NFL Combine, the SF 49ers took him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the highest a kicker had gone in years.

As a rookie in 2023, he did plenty to justify that faith. After recovering from a preseason injury, he opened Week 1 perfectly against the Steelers. His season wasn’t spotless, a rough afternoon in Cleveland brought criticism, but Moody steadied himself, finishing 21-for-25 on field goals with a 84% accuracy. He delivered in the postseason as well, hitting game-winners in both of San Francisco’s playoff victories and even setting a Super Bowl record with a 55-yard make, before Harrison Butker broke it minutes later.

The trust carried into 2024, but the season became a warning sign. He opened hot, nailing all six of his attempts in Week 1 against the Jets to tie a franchise record. But injuries disrupted his rhythm, with a high ankle sprain costing him two mid-season games. And when he returned, inconsistency crept in. He closed the year 24-for-34 on field goals, a 70.6% that was a steep drop from his rookie numbers.

However, Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t create panic in 2025, not after one game, not after one position group falters. Still, the reality is hard to ignore. A missed kick against the Seahawks is survivable. A missed kick in January, when the margins shrink, isn’t. So Week 1 ends with a win, but also a reminder.

Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers start 2025 with a victory

The 49ers didn’t just win a season opener on Sunday. They survived a shaky middle, steadied themselves late, and flexed the very traits that make them a Super Bowl contender. The Seahawks scored 10 points in the second quarter and held San Francisco scoreless in the 3rd quarter. At halftime, with the 49ers trailing 10–7, it felt like the kind of divisional trap that could expose cracks in Kyle Shanahan’s group.

But the fourth quarter belonged to San Francisco. Down 13–7, the 49ers responded with a mix of grit and execution. Brock Purdy, playing his first game since signing a five-year, $265 million extension, looked every bit the franchise quarterback Shanahan insisted he was. Then, with the game still hanging in the balance, he calmly marched the offense back into scoring range and hit Jake Tonges for another score to put it away.

This was also the return of Christian McCaffrey in full workload mode. After an offseason of questions about durability, he carried the ball 22 times for 69 hard-fought yards, added nine catches for 73 more, and looked like the all-purpose engine Shanahan needs. He wasn’t breaking off highlight-reel runs, but he kept the chains moving and punished Seattle’s linebackers with his consistency.

Defensively, the 49ers looked like themselves again in crunch time. Fred Warner and Nick Bosa closed off the middle, Dee Winters flashed with backfield penetration, and the secondary tightened after giving up chunk plays to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first half. San Francisco allowed only three points after the break, forcing two fumbles and swarming Sam Darnold into short throws.

It won’t go down as a masterpiece, but that might be the point. Shanahan’s team took a punch in a hostile division and finished with authority. That’s the kind of trait that decides playoff games.